Genre Fiction

It’s been awhile since I’ve checked in with the New York Times to see what books and authors are topping the bestsellers list. Plus, my usual book store is under construction - so I am thoroughly out of the loop.

The Times tracks bestsellers in a number of categories, three of which are fiction-related. Here are, as of Tuesday, August 26, the top five in each.

HARDCOVER FICTION:

1. Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown
2. The Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader
3. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
4. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
5. Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva

PAPERBACK TRADE FICTION:

1. The Shack by William P. Young
2. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand
3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

PAPERBACK MASS-MARKET FICTION:

1. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
2. You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
3. Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
4. Into the Flame by Christina Dodd
5. Play Dirty by Sandra Brown

As for the difference between mass-market and trade fiction books - something I’ve always wondered about, you can read detailed comparisons and contrasts of the two types at New York Times online. But, in short, trade books have artsy cover designs, higher prices, and a true book-loving fan base; whereas mass-market ones might have a cover resembling the movie version, and are targeted at impulse buyers and cramped book sections in larger stores. The first is often larger in size, and the latter might fit in your back pocket.

The two cover pictures shown here are an example of the two: The first is The Kite Runner for trade, and the second, for mass-market.